Feeding apparatus for printing machines



' (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1.

W. NURSE.

FEEDING APPARAT US EOE PRINTING MACHINES. No. 396,288. PatentedJa-n. 15, 1889.

2 t e e h S 8 b e e h S 2 E S R U N J 1 e d o M 0 FEEDING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

Patented Jan. 15, 1889.

N. PETERS, phom-umn m mn Washington. 0. c

IVILLIAM NURSE, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

FEEDING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,288, dated January 15, 1889.

Application filed December 24, 1887. Serial No. 258,895. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM NURSE, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, printer, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Feeding Apparatus for Printing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to design mechanism by which the sheets of paper shall be automatically fed with evenness and regularity to the cylinder of the machine without any attention from the operator other than the placing of the pile of blanks on the feedtable of the machine, and it consists in the peculiar combinations, and the construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, the whole being arranged substantially as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a printing-press sufficient to illustrate the application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of same. Fig. 3 is alienlarged sectional detail of the suction-cup.

In the drawingsI have shown my invention applied to a cylinder printing-press; but it will of course be understood that I do not confine myself to any particular class of printing-press, as my invention is applicable to all, and can be readily adapted to any without changing the construction sufficiently to alter the principle of the invention. I

In the drawings, A represents what I term suction-cups. I show two of these cups, but of course I do not confine myself to any particular number. Each cup has preferably a ring, a, of rubber placed around its month, which has a perforated cover, b, placed over it, as shown.

B is a flexible tube, arranged to connect the open top end of the cup A with the airpump O. \Vhere there are more than one cup A, I prefer to connect the piston-rods d of the pump 0 by means of a yoke, D. Each piston-rod (1 passes through a hole in the yoke D and has a spiral spring, 6, placed on it, as indicated. The yoke D is connected to some suitable driving-power, so as to receive a reciprocating movement necessary to operate the pumps, thestrain of the upward movement of the yoke being carried by the springs e, so that should one pump have a greater strain on it than the others its spring will yield. Each cup A is connected by a spring-arm, E, to the rod F. This rod F is connected by the arms G to a similar rod, H, both having friction-rollers 11 placed on their ends, which fit into guideways I, shaped as shown, and suitably connected to the frame of the machine. Each end of the rod H has an arm, .I, connected to it, and each arm is connected to a pivoted lever, K, which is caused to rock, as hereinafter described, by the action of the cam Ii.

At the table end of the machine the guideways I terminate Vertically, into which vertical part a bar or plunger, M, is inserted. The lower end of this bar or plunger M is connected by the pitman N to a pivoted lever, O, which is actuated by the cam' P, as hereinafter described.

The axles Q, which carry the endless traveling tapes, are supported at each endby a vertically-movable bracket, R, which bracket is supported by a cam, S.

The rollers T are suitably journ'aled and are connected together by the gear-wheels U, so that they must all revolve simultaneously.

V is a gear-rack, suitably supported, as indicated, and meshing with one of the gearwheels U. The bottom end of this rack V is connected by the pitman IV to the pivoted lever X, which is operated by the cam Y.

Having now described the general parts of the mechanism involved in my invention, I shall proceed to describe their operation and shall at the same time explain any further details which may be necessary to correctly understand the scope and effect of my device.

As indicated in the drawings, the mechanism is set in the position it will be in just when it is about to seize the sheet to be fed into the press. In this position the cups A are suspended immediately over the pile of blanks Z. The air or exhaust pumps O are supposed to be working so as to draw air into the cups. The cam P is revolving in the direction indicated, and when the end of the lever 0 reaches the first recess in the cam P the opposite end of the lever 0 will. naturally drop down, bringing with it the bar IWI; and

as the upper end of this bar M supports the rod F, the said rod F will naturally drop with the bar M, bringing the open mouth of each cup A against the top blank, Z. The spring-arms E permit the cups A to adjust themselves to any unevenness of the pile of blanks, while the fingers 2, which are also connected to the rod F, support the main weight of the rod F and its connections, the mouths of the cups A projecting only slightly below the fingers 2. As the cam P continues to revolve, the end of the lever O is again pressed down by mounting the lobe g, formed in the cam P. This action raises the bar M so as to cause it to raise the rod F and as, by the action of the pump C, the cups A have already sucked up the top sheet, the said top sheet is lifted by the upward movement of the bar M, and as the lobe g passes the end of the lever O and drops into the recess on its opposite side the bar M is thereby lowered, dropping the rod ll, which is again elevated to its initial position by the action of the cam I. By thus raising, dropping, and again raising the rod F the sheet which is held by the cups A has a flip given to it, causing a draft of air to pass between it and the next sheet, thereby completely separating it from the pile of blanks, substantially in the same manner as now done when the paper is fed by hand. At this period the cam Ii commences to push the pivoted lever K in the direction indicated by arrow, and as this lever is connected to the rod II, attached to the rod F, as described, both rods F and H are pushed toward the cylinder 3, and the top sheet, held by suction, is likewise carried toward the cylinder, and at the proper period the stroke of the pump 0 is reversed, so as to reverse the current of air in the tube B, causing the cups to release the sheet, which drops onto the traveling tapes passing around the axles Q, but which I have not shown in the drawings, as I claim not-hing new in them, and if placed in the drawings would hide other parts necessary to be described. The traveling tapes carry the sheet thus deposited upon them until its front edge comes in contact with the guides or stops -l:, which guides straighten the sheet in the ordinary way. Simultaneously with the sheet coming in contact with the guides 4 the cam S has reached a point which will cause the bracket R to drop and carry with it the axles Q, around which the traveling tapes pass, as before described, the tapes being thus carried between and below the level of the rollers T, leaving the sheet of paper on top of the rollers T, which at this period are caused to revolve by the vertical movement of the rack V, which is moved by the cam P sui'liciently to cause the rollers T to travel far enough to carry the sheet resting upon them against the side guide or stop, 5, at which period the guides 4 rise and the nippers on the cylinder 3 seize the sheet and carry it in the ordinary way.

In describing my invention I have referred to it as applied to a printing-press but it will of course be understood that the same mechanism would be applicable to rulingmachines, lithographic presses, and in any machine where paper'is to be fed in sheets.

The drawings merely show the mechanism on one side of the machine; but any mechanic will understand that such parts as are necessary to have on both sides are simply duplicated.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. One or more cups suitably connected to an air-exhauster and driven by mechanism so timed. and arranged that the cup or cups shall travel as each sheet of paper lifted by the suction of the exhaust, and the horizontal spring-arms E, attached to said cups, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a printing-prcss, a cup, A, connected by a flexible tube, 13,110 the air-pump C or other exhaustcr, and supported by the springarms E, connected to the rod F, carried in guideways I, in combination with mechanism by which the rod F is conveyed away from the pile of blanks Z, on which the cups A rest, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a printing-press, a cup, A, connected by a flexible tube, 13, to the air-pumpO or other exhauster, and supported by the spring arms E, attached to the rod F, connected by the arm G to the rod II, the rods F and H being supported in guideways I, and an arm, .I, connected to the pivoted lever K, in combination with the cam L, arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a printing-press, a cup, A, connected by a flexible tube, B, to the air-pump C or other exhauster, and supported by a rod carried in suitable guideways and caused to travel from the pile of blanks Z, with the top blank adhering to the cup, in combination with the bracket R, carrying the axles Q, upon which the endless traveling tapes revolve, the said bracket being supported by a cam, S, designed and timed to lower the bracket R so as to deposit the sheet onto the rollers T, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a printing-press, the rollers T, geared together by the wheels U, connected to the rack V, in combination with the cam Y, connected to and operating the rack V, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a printing-press, the bar M, fitting into the guideways I, so as to support the rod F,-in con'ibination with the cam P, designed to operate the bar M, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

Toronto, December 6, 1887.

\VILLIAM NURSE.

In presence of-- CHARLES C. BALDWIN, C. H. Thomas. 

